Llaima Again Erupts

The NY Times reports:

Chile's Llaima volcano, one of the most active in South America, spewed out a river of lava more than 1,100 yards long on Saturday in a fresh eruption, prompting officials to order dozens of people to evacuate.

Llaima, which lies in Chile's picturesque lake region about 435 miles south of the capital Santiago, erupted on January 1, 2008, and has belched rock and ash sporadically since then.

The lava and hot gases from the latest eruption are melting snow on the sides of the volcano, and authorities say some towns are in danger of being hit by mudslides.

"We are going to start the evacuation of some people who live in sectors that are particularly vulnerable to the risk of ... avalanches of mud due to melting snow," Johaziel Jamett, head of the early warning center at the National Emergency Office, told Reuters.

Llaima Erupts

On Tuesday the Llaima volcano in southern Chile-- the most active volcano in South America-- erupted, spewing lava and ash, and forcing evacuations. According to IHT:

A column of smoke rose more than 9,300 feet into the sky and television images showed thick smoke and lava emerging from Llaima, one of the most active of the dozens of volcanos in Chile.

The volcano is about 60 miles east of Temuco, in the Araucania region of Chile. Temuco is the childhood home of Pablo Neruda.

It's not clear whether this signals the start of a large eruption, or a smaller event.